[ArtK78]

Matchpoints. Single session Sectional Open Pairs.

At all vul, you pick up this ordinary hand:

---

You are playing Standard American, not 2/1 GF. A 2/1 promises 10+HCP and promises a rebid. If you rebid your suit without jumping, it is not forcing. Also, you do not have a natural jump shift available, as a jump to 3♣ over partner's 1♦ opening would be a limit raise in diamonds.

Your partner opens 1♦. if you bid 2♣, your partner bids 2♠, which is natural but does not promise extras.

What is your plan?

[MrAce]

I would bid 3♥ to see if pd can bid 3 NT. If he does i reopen with 4♣. As far as I know you play everything first round control. If pd makes a 4 red cue I would bid 6♣. If he fails to do so I would just bid 5♣

In some hands pd may fail to bid 3 NT even with a♥ stopper, due to extreme shape, then I would still bid 4♣ to learn more.My approach may change depending on what 4♣ would be over 2♠.Grand is possible of course but it is out of my talent to investigate it, when small slam is depending on some critical cards. For example x club is vital compared to void.

[the hog]

"Your partner opens 1♦. if you bid 2♣, your partner bids 2♠, which is natural but does not promise extras."
So you have no way of showing whether opener has a 12 count or a 20 count? Wonderful!
I am giving up and just bidding 5C.

[rmnka447]

+1 for the hog's comments!

[mike777]

5c give up on slam at mp.

[gszes]

ArtK78, on 2014-April-12, 18:37, said:

Matchpoints. Single session Sectional Open Pairs.

At all vul, you pick up this ordinary hand:

---

You are playing Standard American, not 2/1 GF. A 2/1 promises 10+HCP and promises a rebid. If you rebid your suit without jumping, it is not forcing. Also, you do not have a natural jump shift available, as a jump to 3♣ over partner's 1♦ opening would be a limit raise in diamonds.

Your partner opens 1♦. if you bid 2♣, your partner bids 2♠, which is natural but does not promise extras.

What is your plan?

3h

opener's decision to choose 2s vs 2d/h/nt is interesting and creates a fair amount of doubt about
openers distribution (not to mention power. If p cannot bid nt I will try to) sign off in 5c. If p can
bid 3n I will follow with 4c to show my slam interest and we will see what happens. Giving up and just
jumping to 5c is against partnership even if one is not overly happy with the current bidding system:)))

P might end up bidding 3s which should only be done with something like 57 or a bad 5 and really good 6
(spades diamonds) and this rather radical distribution and misfit will make anything difficult to make.

[mike777]

I really don't see anything against partnership in giving up on slam at MP. This seems to be a reasonable approach at MP to win.

[MrAce]

the hog, on 2014-April-12, 19:32, said:

"Your partner opens 1♦. if you bid 2♣, your partner bids 2♠, which is natural but does not promise extras."
So you have no way of showing whether opener has a 12 count or a 20 count? Wonderful!
I am giving up and just bidding 5C.

Yes but this is the system given to us. And when we hold a 9 card suit headed by AK + a void, the bean counts are not gonna help us much tbh, don't you agree ?


AKQJ
Jx
KQJTx
QJ

Here is a 20 count hand which we better stay in 3 NT and even 5♣ is too many.

KQxx
Kx
Axxxx
xx

Here is a 12 count hand, with KQ wasted values vs our void and we are probably cold for slam.

[the hog]

MrAce, on 2014-April-13, 01:33, said:

Yes but this is the system given to us. And when we hold a 9 card suit headed by AK + a void, the bean counts are not gonna help us much tbh, don't you agree ?


AKQJ
Jx
KQJTx
QJ

Here is a 20 count hand which we better stay in 3 NT and even 5♣ is too many.

KQxx
Kx
Axxxx
xx

Here is a 12 count hand, with KQ wasted values vs our void and we are probably cold for slam.

The problem is that I have no way of distinguishing the 2 hands and I suspect Art doesn't either or else he would nt have posted this.

[FrancesHinden]

I would just bid 4C over 2S. Looking to play in 3NT, even at matchpoints, is warped.

[whereagles]

A bit heavy for a direct 5C, but that's definitely a good practical possibility. I would bid 2C + 5C. That might help pard gauging slam better.

However, if LHO looks anxious to bid (due to some gargantuan number of spades), a direct 5C is better. LHO would then be tempted to bid 5♠, after which I'll dbl to show a good 5C bid.

[MrAce]

FrancesHinden, on 2014-April-13, 02:30, said:

I would just bid 4C over 2S. Looking to play in 3NT, even at matchpoints, is warped.

I did not mean to suggest 3 NT.
In some hands it may be best place but I think it is horrible to decide to play 3 NT and not making any further move for slam.

[ggwhiz]

I don't like the methods either but surely we can investigate slam or even a longshot 3 or 6nt without just pinning the tail on the donkey.

The opponents silence is suspicious but helpful so I'm bidding 2♠ and awaiting developments. If that's not an artificial game force I'm eating the convention card and going back to euchre.

[jallerton]

ggwhiz, on 2014-April-13, 14:37, said:

I don't like the methods either but surely we can investigate slam or even a longshot 3 or 6nt without just pinning the tail on the donkey.

The opponents silence is suspicious but helpful so I'm bidding 2♠ and awaiting developments. If that's not an artificial game force I'm eating the convention card and going back to euchre.

I don't like the opening poster's methods either, but yours are even worse. Silencing partner is not usually a good idea.

[Fluffy]

2♣+4♣ seems canonical

[ggwhiz]

jallerton, on 2014-April-13, 15:08, said:

I don't like the opening poster's methods either, but yours are even worse. Silencing partner is not usually a good idea.

What does inviting partners input vs. a drop dead 5♣ bid have to do with "silencing" them? I gave them 2.4 levels of extra bidding room to express an opinion so this comment really has me scratching my head.

[ArtK78]

ggwhiz, on 2014-April-13, 14:37, said:

I don't like the methods either but surely we can investigate slam or even a longshot 3 or 6nt without just pinning the tail on the donkey.

The opponents silence is suspicious but helpful so I'm bidding 2♠ and awaiting developments. If that's not an artificial game force I'm eating the convention card and going back to euchre.

You don't have to like the methods. You just have to use them.

As for bidding 2♠, that has some practical problems as your partner has already bid 2♠ (I am assuming your first call over partner's 1♦ opening was 2♣). I suggest you try another call.

[ggwhiz]

ArtK78, on 2014-April-13, 17:34, said:

You don't have to like the methods. You just have to use them.

As for bidding 2♠, that has some practical problems as your partner has already bid 2♠ (I am assuming your first call over partner's 1♦ opening was 2♣). I suggest you try another call.

Ummm, oops I was bidding over 2♥ so disregard my insanity with apologies.

[Winstonm]

ArtK78, on 2014-April-12, 18:37, said:

Matchpoints. Single session Sectional Open Pairs.

At all vul, you pick up this ordinary hand:

---

You are playing Standard American, not 2/1 GF. A 2/1 promises 10+HCP and promises a rebid. If you rebid your suit without jumping, it is not forcing. Also, you do not have a natural jump shift available, as a jump to 3♣ over partner's 1♦ opening would be a limit raise in diamonds.

Your partner opens 1♦. if you bid 2♣, your partner bids 2♠, which is natural but does not promise extras.

What is your plan?

I would have bid 5C over 1D. I will now bid 5C over 2S.

[ArtK78]

I chose one of the methods advocated by several posters - 2♣ followed by 5♣. Unfortunately, this was not enough to convince my partner to bid slam. And slam was cold.

---

8 of the 20 North South pairs bid slam. Besides the pairs that bid slam, we lost matchpoints to the 6 pairs who played in 3NT (making 7 5 times and 6 the other time). The only pair that finished ahead of us in our direction found 6NT! This was cold, as all three missing kings were onside (♦K and ♠K in front of the AQ of their suits, and the ♥K in front of the ♥Q) with clubs 2-1, so there is no successful defense. Some pairs managed +1390, which is easy on a spade lead and is also there if one takes the diamond finesse.

I was discussing this hand with one of the other players. He didn't give it much stock, as he said that he didn't gear his bidding system on how to handle hands with 9 card suits. There is some wisdom in that.

Complete results from this event are available at philadelphiabridgeinfo.com. This was the Saturday Afternoon Pairs - April 12 2014.